The invention relates to a cylinder stop for any hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder, and specifically for a lawnmower employing such an hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder.
It is known to provide a lawnmower with an hydraulic cylinder that controls the height of the cutting deck. When the lawnmower approaches an obstacle that requires the cutting deck to be lifted to avoid striking an object with the lawnmower""s cutting blades, the hydraulic cylinder is actuated. After the lawnmower has moved over the object, the hydraulic cylinder is again actuated in the reverse direction, thereby lowering the cutting deck to resume cutting the grass.
A problem with prior art lawnmowers is that an operator must guess at the cutting position of the lawnmower deck each time the deck is raised and lowered. Prior art lawnmowers may therefore cut grass at two or more different lengths due to the cutting deck being raised and lowered to overcome various obstacles. This may require portions of the lawn to be cut twice or more times before the lawn is evenly cut.
The present invention provides a cylinder stop detachably connected to the piston shaft of an actuating cylinder. The cylinder stop includes a clamping portion and a handle portion.
The clamping portion may be made of resilient material or may be rigid. Preferably, the clamping portion is resilient and includes a pair of horns defining a mouth leading to a bore through the clamping portion. When pushed against the piston shaft, the horns deflect, permitting the piston shaft to move into the bore. The diameter of the bore is preferably slightly less than the diameter of the piston shaft to ensure a snug fit of the piston shaft in the bore. The clamping portion resists movement of the piston shaft into or out of the cylinder by resisting compressive forces on the clamping portion caused by the actuating cylinder.
The handle facilitates attachment and withdrawal of the cylinder stop with respect to the piston shaft. The handle is preferably T-shaped, but may be any suitable shape that is easily grasped by an operator of the actuating cylinder. The handle is preferably formed integrally with the clamping portion.
Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the following detailed description, claims, and drawings.